Organizing And Document Filing Tips

Organizing And Document Filing Tips

• Sort It As It Arrives. It's easy to bring in the mail and toss it aside or to sort through your computer documents and simply walk away from the computer. Instead, take a moment and sort it right then and there. Separate the important papers and recycle the rest. Find a system that allows you to place documents in order of what they are instead of one large pile. For instance, chose 4 bins and label them for A) Review B) To Pay C) To-Do D) To File.
• Schedule A Weekly Time To Review And File. Take an hour each week to review your filing bin. If you make this a habit then it will take less and less time each week. Keep only the documents that are pertinent and discard the ones that are no longer valid. For example, when new insurance documents arrive, remove the one that is no longer valid. At this point take the documents and have clear and labeled sections in each filing compartment. Have folders for home, auto, bills, pets, insurance, and etc... Avoid the dreaded miscellaneous file if possible, as well as having too many folders that hold just one piece of paper.
• Create An Emergency Binder. This is also called a bug out binder. It is never a bad idea to collect the documents that you might need in the event of an emergency, for example, a fire. These documents should include but aren't limited to, birth certificates, marriage licenses, social security cards, passports, titles, bank information, current insurance information, and wills.
• Chose Fireproof Storage. No one ever wants to think of their lives going up in flames with fire but it is a good idea to chose to be safe when it comes to storing your documents. This should house all of your most important documents including your emergency binder.
• Go Paperless. Organizing documents digitally will pose fewer space challenges, and your computer’s search tool can be your best friend helping you find exactly what you’re looking for. Follow the same guidelines for digital labels as for physical ones. Back up files onto an external hard drive or use a cloud storage service.

The Takeaway

Avoid drowning in a sea of paperwork and chose to take the time to become organized. When tax season is upon you and you are looking for the important documents that you need at your fingertips, you will realize how glad you are that you did!

Contact us today, at Cartier CPA's our goal is to provide clients with the highest level of respect and quality of service.New Paragraph